Searching and Returning
by Vento
Summary: Traveling through the Lost Woods to go see Saria, Link ends up getting caught up in his thoughts and ends up... well... lost! Soon enough he comes upon a cave that holds two surprised for him that end up sending him on a new journey. [Possible LinkxSaria]


A/N: After a year and a half I'm writing fanfiction again!! And not just any kind of FF, no... it's... ZELDA! Vento would love her some feedback! Link I needeth a disclaimer.

Link: ahem Vento does not own The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Nintendo and its original creator does. She does, however, own the plot of this fanfic and the OC "Poi". "Kotomi" belongs to... Kotomi.

And now...

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Chapter 1: Awaken! 

"How could I let my mind wander like that?!" a boy no older than ten shouted in anger, throwing his hands up in the air, "To think I'm lost in one of the places I thought I knew best! Then again, I suppose it's called "The Lost Woods" for a reason…"

That's right folks, our Hero of Time, Link, was lost. He couldn't even hear Saria's Song anymore because he was so deep in the forest. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he could only tread onward, knowing if he turned back he may very well get even more lost than he already was. Wishing he had an ocarina with him to contact Saria, Link closed his eyes in thought as he continued forward. The fact that getting lost in thought is what got him lost in the first place must've slipped his mind, but could you blame the boy? After all, he was grief-stricken.

_ Where are you, Navi? After all this time you still haven't returned. You're the only one who remembers our journey besides me. Not having you here to talk to is just… lonely. _Link let out another deep sigh, opening his eyes to see if he had gotten anywhere. To his surprise, a cave was all that was in front of him now.

Going over his options; being killed by something that may be in there or dying from thirst or hunger in this forest eventually, Link decided to take his chances as would be expected of our Hero. Grasping the hilt of the Kokiri Sword, he slowly and cautiously made his way into the cave.

The steady drip of water could be heard echoing throughout the cave, along with his footsteps. It was dark and cold, yet not threatening. As he continued on, the boy saw a faint, glowing light. His pace quickened, blue eyes shining with hope. Maybe it was the light of the sun! His hopes came crashing down as soon as they appeared though, after entering a dead-end in the cave. About to cry out in anger, something caught the young one's eye. Two stones, one red and one purple, atop a pedestal that was in the center of this room-like area. A hole was above the pedestal, shining down upon the stones which caused them to glisten. Puddles of water were scattered throughout this area as well, but only added onto the beauty that the crystals, which were popping out from the grey walls of the cave, already offered,

Curiosity found its way into the Hero of Time as he approached the pedestal. Not too surprised to find an inscription beneath the stones, Link read it aloud to himself:

**"Stones shrouded in mystery…**

**Souls which are sealed for eternity…**

**Break the stones to set them free…"**

Repeating it several times in his head, Link grabbed a stone with each hand. They seemed to pulse with life and fill him with odd warmth… hope. True hope. Knowing he has already been taking his chances this whole time, he decided that once more won't hurt. Taking a deep breath, he chucked both stones towards the hard, stone floor of the cave at the same time. Both broke and sent a blinding light upwards, causing the boy to wince. Bringing his arms up to shield his eyes, he waited until the light faded to put them down. To his complete and utter surprised, in front of him stood two teenage females.

"…Is it possible…?" the one in a red and black outfit whispered, staring at her hands. Her skin was fairly tanned and she had white hair along with dark, chocolate brown eyes. This girl was much shorter than the other next to her.

"We're back!!! Oh wow! Kotomi, we're back in Hyrule again!" the other girl in the purple and black outfit shouted. Her silver eyes glistened with pure happiness as she twirled around. She had black hair and rather pale skin, about a good three to four inches taller than the other girl, a fair height for her age.

Both females were so caught up in "being back" that it took them a while to notice poor Link who appeared confused and possibly… frightened? "U-uhm… excuse me," he whispered quietly, coughing to try and get their attention.

"I can't believe it We're truly back! We're back, back, b-"

"Poi, shut up and look behind you," the Kotomi girl sighed, pointing to Link. The girl who seemed more excited and hyper in a sense, Poi, spun around to see the short little Hero of Time standing there with a strange expression.

"…Awww!! He's so cuuuute! Can we keep him? Pleaaase?" she giggled, going to embrace the boy. Shockingly, he went right through her. "Wh-what in the hell just happened?!" she shouted, freaking out. Was he a ghost or something?! Looking down at her hands, she realized something very depressing and life-shattering. She was the ghost… Her body was transparent. "I can't believe this…" Poi whispered, crestfallen. She may be back in Hyrule but that didn't mean anything if she was stuck as a ghost and couldn't be tangible.

"I was trying to tell you that early you blubbering idiot, but no. You had to get too excited for your own good," the other female sighed, rubbing the back of her head and glancing at the boy. "We owe you our thanks though, even if we're only ghosts. It's better than being where we were before. Is there anything you need help with, kid?" she asked, sitting and floating in the air.

Poi grumbled incoherently and floated off, kicking the air in which she floated. "The Wind Gods certainly do not bless me today," she muttered to herself, turning to face Kotomi and Link, waiting for the boy to speak.

Link, having heard Poi's testament about the "Wind Gods", blinked in confusion. What were those…? Before he could ponder it any longer, the Kotomi girl started talking to him. "Uh… well you see… I'm kind of lost. I would like to be able to go to the Sacred Forest area," he answered earnestly, shuffling awkwardly. He wasn't sure how to talk to these older females.

"Well then, have no fear Little Hero, Poi and I can-"

"Can help you for a price!" Poi cut in, a smirk on her face as she floated on over. Kotomi's eyes widened for a moment before her whole being flared in anger. The more mischievous girl didn't let her talk though, speaking before she could. "All you have to do is help us get our actual bodies back so we can be alive again! We have lots of powers, even in this form, and can help you out more than anyone else in Hyrule. Just promise to help us and we'll be like your… guardian angels!" she explained, coming very close to the boy.

"Poi! You can't just go and demand that from a little kid! You should be grateful he even released us from that hell! How dare y-"

"I'll do it," Link said firmly and confidently, yet again cutting off Kotomi. About to snap, she suddenly took in his words. Poi smirked knowingly.

"Wait, what?" Kotomi questioned in a whisper.

"I will help you get your bodies back so long as you two come along and help. I think I could use some more training before I go off to find Navi," Link explained, though whispering the last part to himself. He was the Hero of Time and felt responsible to help them. They had a mysterious and powerful aura as well, which intrigued him. They could be the key to helping him find even more inner strength.

"Alright then, out of this stupid cave we go!" Poi grinned, snapping her fingers. Without warning, everything went black and Link felt a flying sensation.


End file.
